


A little boy from England

by MissMoonshine



Series: A Spellman family history [4]
Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 20:54:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17352422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissMoonshine/pseuds/MissMoonshine
Summary: Hilda, Zelda and Edward have just come back together when a rather disconcerting letter arrives and they find themselves guardians to their nephew Ambrose. And while he is but a little boy when he comes to live with them, he grows up quickly and is just as full of mischief as any other young warlock.





	A little boy from England

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own 'Chilling adventures of Sabrina'.
> 
> Now, this originally was supposed to be a OS about Ambrose - how he came to live with the Spellmans, what he did in Europe and how he ended up under house arrest in Greendale. Alas, things rarely go as planned when it comes to writing and I had more Spellman siblings than intended, so I decided to split it.
> 
> Part one will cover how and why Ambrose got to Greendale in the first place, up until his dark baptism. Part two will then be about his time at the academy and cover mainly what he did between graduating and being arrested.

A rather unexpected sight greeted Hilda that morning. She was in a wonderful mood, it was an unusually sunny day and not only did she enjoy the warm rays on her skin but it had only been a few hours since she delivered a beautiful little baby boy to a young couple from the coven.

So when she cheerfully walked up the path to the little Essex cottage she called home, it was quite a surprise to see a tall, dark figure sit on the garden bench. Hilda squealed in delight and almost ran towards the gate.

‘Edward!’

‘Hilda!’

He might be her younger brother – he was still very young, actually – but he was even taller than Zelda and Hilda, well, Hilda was quite short so it wasn’t hard for him to twirl her around as if she was a child. She was still laughing when he put her down again and it wasn’t long before she had placed them at the kitchen table with tea and biscuits.

‘What are you doing here, Ed? Not that I am not happy to see you but it’s quite unexpected – you didn’t even write!’

‘Well, I wanted to surprise you,’ he smiled. ‘But you’re right, I’m not only here to see you – well, I’m _here_ because of you, of course – ‘

‘Don’t worry, I understand. Did Father Corvus send you?’

‘In a way…you know that I want to become high priest, Hilda. And for that, I must visit different Covens and travel around, so Father Corvus suggested I should go and start here, in England. Work my way through Europe and then come back, you know – why are you smiling?’

‘Because I am so proud of you, Edward,’ Hilda answered and couldn’t help but sound slightly teary. ‘When you told us that you wanted to become High Priest as a little boy, we all thought that it was a dream but now you are well on your way there. And that makes me very proud.’

The look on Edward’s face during Hilda’s praise reminded her so much of that little boy that she couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing. For a moment, Edward gave her an incredulous look before he simply joined in.

It took them a few minutes to calm down and continue their conversation – just some catching up about the things they had done in the last few years. Had it really been that long since they had actually seen each other face to face?

‘How long are you staying?’ Hilda wanted to know later, when she was putting the dishes away and her brother shrugged.

‘I’m not entirely sure, a few days, I think. Perhaps a bit longer but I just wanted to see you before I have to travel to the continent.’

‘You haven’t made any plans?’

‘Well, I have a list of Covens I want to visit, Zee helped me to put it together…’

‘Ah, I see…may I?’

Edward nodded and handed her a paper full with names and addresses in his neat handwriting. Hilda took her time reading it and occasionally nodded when she came upon someone she knew or approved of. Actually, she did know most of the people on the list – many she had met in person and the others she had heard of when her grandparents or her sister spoke of their travels. She handed Edward the list back with a smile.

‘I wouldn’t go to the Coven near Marseille now, they are currently trying to settle a dispute between two of their priests and it got a little out of hand, if I’m not mistaken. But you could start off with the ones in the north or even in Scotland, you know? I would do that now, while it’s warm…’

Edward nodded slowly.

‘I see your point. Is there anything else I should know of, someone Zelda missed, maybe?’

But Hilda shook her head.

‘No, everyone you should go and see is on there. Although…’

‘What?’

‘Well, you know that Anne and Achilles had a son before he died? Ambrose? He’s an adorable little boy and I’m sure Anne would love to see you.’

‘Of course, I shall pay them a visit…could you arrange a time for me?’

‘Sure. Maybe tomorrow?’

Edward nodded.

‘That would be agreeable, I suppose.’

His sister nodded again but the tight smile on her lips made him frown slightly.

‘Did I upset you?’ he asked carefully – one could never be so sure with women, he had learned, though Hilda was much easier to read than Zelda. But his sister simply shook her head before looking at him.

‘I’ve just noticed that you haven’t put any family members down to visit. If I hadn’t just told you about Anne and Ambrose, you wouldn’t even have gone there!’

‘Zelda didn’t mention – ‘

‘Of course she didn’t mention that, Ned!’ Hilda huffed and rolled her eyes. ‘She expects you to know that it would be just polite to visit some other branches of our family.’

‘But Hilda, I don’t know any of them! I’ve only ever heard stories but that’s it! None of them know me, how can I just waltz in and demand that they’d see me?’

‘They are our family, they – ‘

‘But that’s just it, Hilda. They are your family, not mine – you and Zelda, you grew up here, with all those relatives here but I’m not even English. How can they be my family?’

Oh Edward, Hilda thought, if only you knew how many people out there would love to meet you. But she didn’t say anything and instead went on to explain to her little brother that in some cases, family was about love and sometimes it was about blood and family trees.

 

* * *

 

 

After Edward left England to travel around the Covens of Europe, Hilda only knew what he was up to from his letters. They came regularly, usually once a month and therefore much more often than those her sister sent. But to be fair, Zelda had spent several years travelling around Asia and hadn’t been in one place for long before she went back to her beloved St. Petersburg a few years ago. So perhaps it wasn’t too surprising that she had only written sporadically. Besides, they had other means of communication in case something serious happened.

Which was exactly why she immediately worried when Zelda all of a sudden appeared in her kitchen.

‘Sweet Satan, Zelda, are you trying to scare me to death?’ she shrieked and waved her hand for Zelda to sit down. Her sister just rolled her eyes and smoothened her already impeccable dress.

‘Stop being such a ninny, Hilda. I’m merely here to tell you that we are going to meet each other in Athens, Edward will be there in September. We haven’t been there in a while and once Edward finishes his studies at the coven there, we will all go back to Greendale together.’

None of this was a question, that much was obvious to Hilda. Of course it wasn’t, that wouldn’t be Zelda’s style at all. She knew that if she really wanted to, she could refuse her sisters orders and it would be just as well – she was half a world away, after all – but if she was honest, Hilda quite liked the idea.

She hadn’t seen Edward since he stopped by at the beginning of his studies and Zelda…well, it had been even longer since she’d seen her in person. Probably when she and grandmother had left Hilda in the cottage and went back to Greendale shortly after the Queen’s coronation. Which had been, what? 20 years ago?

So instead of protesting she nodded at her sister’s astral form.

‘I think that is a charming idea, Zelds. I’ll make sure to tie up everything here be in Athens on September first.’

‘Marvellous. Well then, I have to leave. Goodbye, Hilda.’

‘Goodbye!’

And just as suddenly as she had appeared, Zelda was gone again and Hilda was left alone in the Cottage. She looked around and nodded to herself. She should get started, there was a lot to prepare and work didn’t usually do itself.

 

* * *

 

The sun was warm on Zelda’s pale skin as she stood on the pier. It was a sensation she would have to get used to again, now that she was in Greece. Oh, she loved it here, that was out of question but she had been living in Russia for several years now and well, it was a lot colder there.

But right now it didn’t matter to her that her marble skin was already turning a little red, despite the decorative parasol she was holding. What mattered right now was that the next ship would finally bring her little brother to her again.

Of course, Zelda Spellman would never admit it to anyone but whenever they stayed apart for long, she craved the moment she would see her brother and sister again. It was something she hated and loved at the same time, a somewhat strange sensation that was impossible to put in words for her. Poets, on the other hand, would simply describe it as love.

Zelda had been in Athens for two weeks now, her trip here from France, where she had spent the summer month, had gone surprisingly well which had her arrive a little earlier than planned. Not that she was complaining, this way she had the opportunity to see some old friends and get settled again. A branch of the Spellman family – they had a different last name after being a few generations removed from the siblings themselves – had offered them to stay in one of their houses for as long as they pleased and Zelda had used the last few days to get it ready for her brother and sister.

But she had never been the most domestic of witches and therefore was quite anxious for them to actually arrive now. Edward in just a few minutes and then Hilda’s ship in two days.

Bevor she could think about her sister any more, though, the _‘Cassiopeia’_ became visible and Zelda’s focus turned to her little brother. It was funny how many years had passed since she had last seen him and yet how little time it seemed to be. But that was what life was like for witches, endlessly long and full of the greatest gifts.

It didn’t take long for the ship to land but the minutes seemed to stretch for an eternity before they finally put out the plank and the passengers started to leave the ship.

Edward spotted his sister before she saw him – which really wasn’t surprising. She did stand out between the native people of Greece, with her white skin and the red curls, clad in a gorgeous, pale-blue gown fit for a princess.

But it didn’t matter just how fancy she looked – she was his sister and when he reached her and was pulled into a tight hug, well, Edward just couldn’t help himself. He simply swooped her up and twirled her around just like he had done with Hilda – he was almost a head taller than she was, even with those ridiculous heels she had to be wearing and she let out an uncharacteristic shriek before softly laughing into his neck.

‘Don’t do that again,’ she chastised him with a soft smack on the arm when he finally put her down. He laughed, the twinkle in her eyes betrayed her stern demeanour.

‘It’s wonderful to see you, Zelda,’ he smiled.

‘It’s wonderful to see _you,_ Ed. I’ve missed you.’

That was about as much sentiment as one would get from Zelda so the siblings simply linked arms and made their way towards the carriage that would take them to the house.

‘Have your travels been successful?’ Zelda asked once they were seated. Edward smiled at her.

‘They have indeed. Thanks to you, sister, I must add. Without your suggestions and the letters you sent to those Covens, many of them would have been much more hostile and unfriendly when I visited.’ His sister’s eyebrows shot up and he realised his mistake.

‘They have not been unkind, don’t worry. But they tend to be more suspicious to strangers nowadays, so when they knew how well you seem to think of me, they were much more welcoming.’

‘Ah, yes. The witch-hunts did that to us. But I never said a word that was untrue, as you very well know.’ She smiled at him and a little nudge was enough for Edward to start telling her about his travels.

Zelda wanted to know every detail, know of everyone he had met and it was well into the evening the next that her curiosity was sated. 

‘What about you? How has your journey been? You only spoke of your trip from Russia to France in spring but what about before?’ Edward asked later, when they were sitting on the balcony watching the stars. But she only shrugged in response.

‘I have met some rather shocking people and their very different cultures. Not like our covens, you know? I have written some of it down, the basic structures of their system but it is very complex. Perhaps impossible to understand for someone who has not been there…but that is what centuries of isolation do to you…’

She trailed off and Edward knew better than to try and force her to say more. Instead they fell both fell silent again and continued to gaze at the night sky above them.

 

* * *

  

 

Hilda arrived the day afterwards and her presence – or the presence of the three Spellmans – drew quite some attention to them. Of course, their cousins had come to visit and greet them all and they had happily joined them for black mass but the mortals down the street seemed a bit more agitated by their presence. Perhaps it was because they had simply assumed that Zelda and Edward were a couple before Hilda had moved in as well but no one had dared to approach them and eventually, the gossip ebbed away.

The three of them had planned to stay for the winter month and take on their journey back to America in the early summer but between Hilda taking on the pregnant daughter of the high priest, Edward being allowed to study in the unholy library and Zelda teaching at the Academy of Myths, they ended up staying for almost two years.

But even then, they didn’t leave because they wanted to.

It was a Sunday morning – almost noon, really – and both Zelda and Edward had just found their way into the kitchen after having a long lay-in. They had both attended a certain ritual the night before that had run rather late and now looked like they just wanted to get some of Hilda’s headache remedy and go back to bed. That, however, was not going to happen.

None of them though anything about the heavy letter Hilda had brought when she had gone to the office this morning to pick up their post. But it did look quite official so Edward fished it out between the others and opened it. Neither Hilda nor Zelda paid him any attention until he suddenly started cursing in a way that made Hilda’s eyebrows shot up and Zelda glare at him.

‘What in Satan’s name is wrong?’ Hilda wanted to know and stepped behind her brother so she could read over his shoulder. Her eyes widened.

‘Oh no…the poor lamb…’

‘Would someone care to tell me what is going on?’ Zelda finally demanded and Edward wordlessly handed her the letter. He and Hilda were silent while she skimmed over it, her expression set in stone.

‘May Anne’s soul have arrived safely in hell’, she finally stated and lowered the letter. For a moment, the three of them simply said there, all deeply in thought, until Hilda spoke up again.

‘What are we going to do? Anne apparently wanted us to take care of little Ambrose if something happened to her…should we get him here?’

‘He’s a child, Hilda, you can’t let him travel alone.’ Of course Edward would argue that way, he was young and had only met Ambrose once, when he was still a much younger child. Yes, he had a brilliant mind but the concept of children was still somewhat foreign to Edward who had only been around few.

‘Nonsense. He is hardly a baby anymore but there is still no point in getting him here.’

‘Then what would you suggest, Zelda?’

‘We have overstayed our welcome here; don’t you think? Instead of having young Ambrose come here, we should go to England and then take him to Greendale with us this summer.’

‘It would be nice to see grandmother again…’

‘I think it’s charming idea. Shall I go and tell Eris that we’ll be leaving soon?’

Edward nodded at the younger one of his sisters.

‘If you would be so kind. Zelda and I will arrange everything else in the next days. I just hope they won’t be offended if leave so sudden...’

‘Don’t be silly, Ed. Of course they won’t be offended.’

‘It’s not our fault that Anne died so they can’t blame us if we need to leave.’

‘Exactly. There is absolutely no reason to worry about anything. Now If you’ll excuse me, I need to lie down again.’

And with that, Zelda swept out of the room and left her siblings behind. They gave each other one look and shook their heads before chuckling softly. Sometimes, even after all the years of living together, Zelda was just too dramatic for them to stay serious. It wasn’t usually this bad which made it much easier for them to keep their faces straight but no one could deny that their older sister had …style.

‘Well,’ Hilda finally sighed and got up, ‘I better get going then.’

She turned to leave but then stopped and bustled over to one of the shelves where she opened a box and pulled out a small vial that she handed her brother.

‘Three drops and the headache will be gone in no time.’

‘Thank you!’

She didn’t hear Edwards answer anymore because she had already left but he stayed at his place a few moments longer.

Sometimes he really couldn’t get women and while he loved them dearly, his sisters really were the worst.

 

* * *

 

 

‘I don’t want to go, aunt Hilda.’

Zelda sighed exasperatedly and looked at her sister who in turn tried to reason with the boy. Ambrose Spellman was 13 years old and had lost his mother a few weeks ago. It wasn’t really a surprise that he didn’t want to leave his home and come to live with a family of complete strangers.

Well, Hilda wasn’t a stranger, she had been the nice aunt who sometimes looked after him when his mother was busy through most of his childhood. But he had met his uncle Edward only once, a few years ago and aunt Zelda…well, she really was a stranger. And scary.

Nevertheless, Ambrose knew that he would have to go with them. Even if someone in the Coven would offer to take him in, it was clearly stated in his mother’s will that he was to live with the Spellmans in Greendale. But just because he had to go that didn’t mean he had to like it, right?

‘I know, lamb, but your mother wanted you to stay with us.’

‘Why can’t you just stay here with me?’, Ambrose asked and he didn’t even care if he would get some sort of punishment for his cheek later. Then again, who knew what his aunt and uncle would come up with…

‘Look, boy, we have a responsibility to our Coven in Greendale, one that we have neglected for far too long already. And since you are still too young to stay on your own, you’ll have to come with us.’

Well, Edward did most certainly have no skill whatsoever in dealing with children. Even Zelda shot him an annoyed look and she really couldn’t be considered affectionate.

It seemed, however, as if his words were efficient enough since the boy huffed but finally turned around to grab his last bag. The members of their coven had already come and taken care of the majority of Anne’s belongings while Ambrose was given a big box with the most significant things.

Said box was, along with most of their luggage, already stored near the harbour and all that was left for them now was the actual boy himself and the few things he didn’t want to lose track of. It wasn’t a lot, really, that Ambrose wanted to keep close but he knew that he didn’t really have a choice here. Even if leaving his home was hard for him.

Seeing that their new charge was finally obeying, Edward strode out of the room and Ambrose had to suppress the giggle at the look his aunts gave each other. Aunt Hilda even mumbled something that sounded like ‘So dramatic!’ but of course he couldn’t be sure of that.

But the slight nudge of happiness was gone just as quickly as he followed her outside, aunt Zelda behind him. He stopped just before the front door to have one last look around and there was just no way to stop those damn tears.

And then, suddenly, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked up and aunt Zelda’s sad smile and her warm hands were the most comforting thing he knew ever since his mother died.

Perhaps he had been wrong about her, he thought as he followed her into the garden. Perhaps she wasn’t so bad after all.

 

* * *

 

 

By the time they arrived in Greendale, Ambrose had learned a lot. Not only about his family but about…everything. And he couldn’t help but absolutely love it. At first he thought it was silly but listening to his aunt Hilda’s tales, discussing theological opinions with uncle Edward or simply reading the detailed stories in aunt Zelda’s journals made him feel a lot better.

Of course he was still grieving, he missed his mother terribly but maybe staying with his aunts and uncle would turn out much more enjoyable than he expected. All three of them seemed genuinely interested to teach him and he relished in the knowledge they all had. His mother had been much younger than his aunts, even a little younger than uncle Edward, and the three of them were more than happy to share all about their adventures and travels with him.

He didn’t know that the siblings had agreed to distract him from his grieve and that they had been more than surprised at the efficiency of that undertaking. But it was a rather successful method and it did have some other merits too.

Teaching Ambrose meant that they had to spend a lot of time with him and if you are cooped up on a ship for weeks it was inevitable that you got to know each other quite well. Hilda had quickly found out what her nephew’s favourite dishes were and Edward didn’t take long to discover how easily he remembered his satanic verses.

But while he soon came to, well, love, aunt Hilda and uncle Edward, Ambrose preferred company was aunt Zelda. That was such a surprise to him that he at first thought he was dreaming because really, aunt Zelda? She was the oldest of them and easily the most intimidating one – but she was also the only one who never pressured Ambrose to talk or fill the silence with chatter. Quite the opposite, in fact.

That Zelda was just as surprised by this development was hidden very well behind her calm mask. But she was deeply touched by the boy’s affection and enjoyed his company more than she would ever care to admit.

‘He really has taken to you, has he?’, Hilda had asked her one evening when they were about to turn in. She had given her sister a nonchalant look and a shrug as an answer before blowing out the candle. By the time she spoke again, Hilda was almost asleep already.

‘He’s a lonely soul, sister. One day he could be just as bright and great as grandfather and Edward but he will need us all for that. To guide him back and mend himself…’

Hilda didn’t know what to say to that, so she simply stored her sister’s words away in the back of her mind and went to sleep.

But when they arrived in Greendale it suddenly became clear to her what Zelda had meant.

The last few days of their journey from New York to Greendale had been arduous and Ambrose had rarely smiled. Perhaps it was the realisation that they were about to arrive at his new home, the excitement of the journey wearing off. Whatever it was, it didn’t even disappear when Priscila pulled him into a tight hug.

‘My dear boy,’ she whispered, ‘I’m so terribly sorry but there is no need for you to worry. You’ll be quite happy here.’

Then she had led them all inside and into the dining room for a welcome feast.

They had all been hungry and more than happy to glory in grandmother’s cooking but young Ambrose seemed too anxious to eat much at all. It was quite worrying, just like his indifference when Hilda showed him his new room.

‘The left attic is all yours’, Priscilla had explained with twinkling eyes. ‘I’m sure you don’t want to be right next door to any of us, it’s much easier to stay up late when no one’s listing on the walls.’

‘Thank you.’

Well, that mumbled response was not quite what she had hoped for but it would do for now.

Later Hilda came back down again and stopped in the front hall when she heard soft voiced over the clatter of dishes. Through the open doorway she could see her grandmother and Zelda huddled together by the sink, whispering to each other while washing up.

‘...you think he can make it through?’

‘I told you, he is a strong little boy. Once he has settled in he will be fine.’

‘Sometimes I’d really like a piece of your optimism, Zelda.’

Hilda almost laughed at that, Zelda an optimist? After loving and warm, optimistic was probably the last thing on anyone’s mind when it came to her sister. Then again, Zelda and Priscilla had always been rather close…but no, even their grandmother couldn’t think of her eldest grandchild as a positive person.

But then Hilda remembered how well Ambrose had taken to Zelda once he got over his nervousness and she realised that maybe she wasn’t all wrong. In the short time the boy had been with them, she herself and Edward had spent a lot of time with him but he had never opened up to them. Of course she would have been able to peak into his thoughts if she really had to but this was a gift that Hilda didn’t particularly like to use.

The point, though, was that while Zelda had been teaching Ambrose French, she had come to know him – perhaps better than they thought. Just because she didn’t particularly like people it didn’t mean that she couldn’t read them, a thing that even she and Edward sometimes forgot about their sister.

So Hilda just shrugged it off and decided to just watch things for a while – meddling wouldn’t do what they needed, so it was best to just step back and see how everything would unfold on its own.

**Author's Note:**

> I am not quite sure yet when I will upload part two as I am working on several other OS about the Spellman history but I'll try my best to not let it be too long.
> 
> Also, I usually don't like asking for reviews but I am very happy if you want to leave one :)


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